August 9, 2017
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
The City of Cordell is discussing ways to keep the Cordell Police Station open and officers on patrol on city streets.
The city council spent a lot of time Monday night on the topic with varying opinions expressed ranging from more officers to budgetary restraint.
On occasion, the police department building has been locked during the daytime hours because there’s not enough staff to keep it open.
According to Cordell Mayor Bob Plummer, there are – currently – only four full time officers including the Police Chief Brandon Rogers who says he’s interviewing now for a fifth officer. However, it’s the goal to have the building staffed Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm.
Plummer says it’s a difficult position to be in for a town the size of Cordell with limited funding.
The issue became more acute recently with the home invasion and murder of a young mother and the shooting of her 14-year-old son. The incident was instrumental in getting the subject on the city’s council agenda.
According to the Cordell Beacon newspaper, it was clear during Monday night’s discussion that a majority of the council were in favor of increasing the number of police officers – presumably more than the five officers that the force is looking at.
Chief Rogers has stated that the ideal number could be closer to seven. He says that would give him two officers per shift plus an extra one for emergencies and to be able to schedule days off.
Plummer reminds residents that just because the police department doors are locked doesn’t mean officers aren’t out on patrol.
Plummer says when officer’s aren’t on duty on the streets for whatever reason, the sheriff’s office serves as backup for 911 calls.
He says little was accomplished on the topic Monday night and he expects there’ll be more discussion in the future.
Also on the agenda was the discussion with a representative from Miller Emergency Medical Services concerning the Cordell EMS Service. Now that Cordell has taken over the ambulance service from the hospital, city leaders are looking for the most economical way that EMS services can be handled. That prompted the discussion of hiring out the service to Matt Miller and his company.
Mayor Plummer says the council indicated Monday night that it would like to consider forming a committee to look into contracting the EMS service out to an outside company.
The next City Council meeting is set for Monday night, August 21 at at 6 pm at City Hall.
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